


The Truth Inside The Darkness

by Soul_Reaper



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Interspecies Romance, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, Pokemon, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:40:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24158284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soul_Reaper/pseuds/Soul_Reaper
Summary: A true friend sees the face behind the mask, while everyone else sees only the mask. A true friend understands you to the extent that it seems that they can read your mind. They do not believe the mask you wear is your face, and will do everything to understand the person behind the mask, so they can help you.
Relationships: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon/Original Human Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. The bully, the altruist, the memory, and the mask.

**Author's Note:**

> Due to the coronavirus pandemic, I have been exploring my interests, and I have recently found interest in writing, and I have been reintroduced to pokemon. My experience as a kid with pokemon ended around the time when Gen 5 came out, and it's fascinating to see how much pokemon has grown since then. I’ve taken a liking in Dark and Ghost types, since they are the types likely to be the most misunderstood (or would be in real life if they were real). The TV and book series are too childish however, so I’ve been reading pokemon fanfiction here on AO3. I’ve felt the urge to write my own, so after I lost interest in a new hobby I was trying, I decided to fill up that time with this! I am known at school as a Math and Science geek, but that’s only because very little people at my school take the time to look at those subjects. Now, I am exploring the world of literature, because my SAT score doesn’t depend only on Math. I am not known for my skills in literature, and I would be grateful if you could point out any mistakes I have made in my writing. Don’t be shy! 
> 
> Note: I have no plans to include pokemon that belong in Gen 6 or higher, since I am most familiar with Gen 5 and before. This story resides in its own region, and all the Gen 1-5 pokemon live there (and maybe 6-?. We will see). All human characters will be completely original, and legendary pokemon will have different personalities. Also, I would like to thank you for reading all this junk between the beginning and here. Not many people read the author’s note.

_ It’ll end in 5 minutes,  _ thought  Noxtractus Waner staring at the clock,  _ just a bit more to go. Then I’ll be out of here.  _ He looked at the front of the classroom. The teacher was there, droning on about who knows what. All that matters is that class is almost done, and he’ll be able to do some productive work. He looked at his pile of books and notes, specifically at a Journal. He made sure to change the cover so no one would be able to tell what it was by just looking at it, and he wasn’t a noticeable person, so he’s safe from anyone reading it. It was one of his most precious processions, having poured his heart out into the book, writing his most dearly held secret.  _ My most dearly held secret.  _ He felt himself tearing up just at the thought, but he forced down his emotions. After 2 months of practicing, he could practically force down emotions, though sometimes something would slip through onto his face.  _ But  _ _ luckily _ _ , no one cares about me and doesn’t give me a second thought.  _ He looked at the time again.  _ 1 min left. _ He shoved all his supplies and notes as quietly as possible into his bag. The teacher didn’t approve of packing up early, so he had to do it without noise. Finishing stuffing his last book into his bag, he looked at the clock again, counting down as the seconds ticked by.

“Class is dismissed.”

Noxtractus jumped out of his seat and walked as quickly as he could to the door. He squeezed through the mass of people towards one of the back exits of the school that little used. There, he could do some more writing, before his bus arrived. He went through the  exit and was intensely hit with the cold and the fresh air. He loved it. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt in the middle of winter was not something most people did, but he’d enjoyed the cold all his life. Sitting down on a bench under a tree, he took out his journal, and opened it to a new page. He took out a  pencil and thought for a moment.  _ I did a poem last time, so now it’s a drawing now. I’ve already drew all the Primary dark and ghost types I know about. All the other types are boring. So which action should I draw a dark or ghost type doing? _

Noxtractus raised his head looking at the forest that lied not far from him. He could use it to go home, but he preferred the bus.  _ It, _ _ brings memories. And I don’t want them.  _ Removing that thought quickly from his mind, he refocused his attention on a single tree, its branches dancing in the wind.  _ A ghost type in the wind. Perfect. How about a  _ _ Gastly _ _? That’ll be fun to draw.  _

He started with the normal shape of a  Gastly , with ghostly looking trees in the background and a crescent moon. Then he started drawing the purple tendrils coming out from the primary from of the  Gastly to give it a wind effect.  _ Damn. A  _ _ Gastly _ _ is too spherical. It doesn’t look good to have tendrils coming out of sphere shapes apparently. _ Sighing, he finished adding a windy affect to the background, and signed his name.

“Watcha reading geek?” a familiar voice sneered. 

Noxtractus Waner looked up from his book. 3 older boys looked down on him. The one in front, Don, radiated authority. He had a classic haircut and cared little for the clothes he wore. But what made him stand out was his posture and voice. He stood tall, his back straight. When possible, Don looked down upon people, whereas everyone else would have to look up. His tone was commanding and charming at the same time when he wanted to. Everyone respected him. But he had another side, reserved for geeks, loners, and competition. The other two boys were noticeably stronger and taller, able to crush rocks with their bare hands, but had brains smaller than a peanut. Noxtractus couldn’t remember what their names were, but they weren’t a threat without Don. _I knew this day would come. Act casual, like you planned. Don’t fight him. Its hopeless anyways. Hopeless._ Memories crept into his mind, but he pushed those back. He put a smile on his face as he looked at his tormentor. 

“It's a fascinating book called-.” Before Noxtractus could finish his sentence, Don kicked it out of his hands. It landed on the grass about 5 meters away. Noxtractus fought down his rage and calmly continued sitting.

“Sorry, I’m not interested, geek. Sees like waste of paper,” he spat and turned to the other two, “Take him down.” 

The other two boys stepped forward. Before Noxtractus could even react, they grabbed him and slammed him down on the bench he was sitting on. Noxtractus heard something crack. Whether it was the bench or his bones, he wasn’t sure. His nerves were flying all over the place, and it was all he could do to keep the fear off his face. Grinning, Don reached onto his belt and pulled off a standard pokeball, with purple cracks all over it. He gloated over Noxtractus for a moment and pressed the button on the pokeball. A bright red light came out and formed a bipedal figure, one that many minors in his town dreaded. The light flashed for a split second, and in its place was a Toxicroak. It looked no different from the ones he has read about, except that the parts of his body that were supposed to be blue were more purple-like than blue.

Fear spread through him as he recalled fellow geek's or loner’s stories of the experience. The moment the claw pierces your skin, you feel extreme pain as the poison spreads around your body. It paralyzes most your body, different parts for different people. As you silently scream in pain, the Toxicroak humiliates your paralyzed body, sometimes with Don joining in. He tried forcing his fear down, but he couldn't keep his fear out of his eyes. The Toxicroak grinned at him, and looked to his trainer for permission, and, smiling, Don nodded. The Toxic Mouth Pokemon unsheathed his claws. An oozing purple liquid dripped off his claws. He rose one of his claw, preparing for the command. Noxtractus’s only comfort was knowing that Don’s victim’s suffering wasn’t serious enough for the law to get involved. 

“You think-” Noxtractus snarled as bravely as he could but was cut off. 

“This is what you get when you dare challenge my power! Toxicroak! Poison St-” 

“Psychic!” 

A telekinetic force blasted through the area, blasting his tormentors away. Don did a flip and landed swiftly on his feet, recalling his Toxicroak in a swift motion. The Toxicroack disappeared in a bright red flash. The other two fell on their back, but quickly scrambled up. A sudden memory appeared in Noxtractus's mind, but he forced it down. _Don't show it. No one can get a single clue._ Don glared at Noxtractus, and ran off, the other two following suit. Noxtractus started sighing a sigh of relief, but quickly stifled it. _Don’t act like that,_ he told himself sharply. Completely forgetting his back might be broken, he shot off the bench and glared towards the origin of the attack. 

“What are you doing here?”

“No gratitude? Someone should teach you manners,” Meka teased, stepping from behind a bush with her Xatu. Noxtractus narrowed his eyes. Meka was born into the richest family in the town, but she wasn’t like most spoiled children. She showed off anything expensive intentionally and was one of the nicest girls in the school. She wore a pink T-shirt, a white skirt and white shoes. Her hair was tied in a ponytail. She seemed to have an endless amount of empathy, and since the bullies at the school couldn’t torment her because of her high level Xatu, she showed it to anyone she wished, typically the people who have been tormented, or have gone through personal crisis. So unfortunately, he would likely be her next target. But he wouldn’t make himself an easy target. 

“Thanks, but no thanks,” Noxtractus snapped, “I prefer that you don’t get in my business.” 

“Now, I know you’ve been having a tough time, but-” 

“You know nothing,” Noxtractus whispered. Among his other “abilities,” he was a natural at being loud by being soft. Like his tormentor, he’d radiated power, but not dominance. He radiated pure malice, and even though he never acted upon it, nearly everybody acted like he was a known serial killer. 

Meka raised her hands in a surrender gesture. “Hey, I might not know exactly what’s going on, but let me help you. You’ve become a target for people like Don, and you don’t want that to continue, do you?” 

_If you are smart, you’ll back off and leave me alone. Or else!_ Noxtractus thought with as much malice he could force into his thought, so much that it convinced even himself. Meka’s Xatu gave her trainer a nervous prod. Noxtractus allowed himself a smile. Psychic types could read minds and communicate mentally, and her Xatu would be able to sense his malice. Meka looked at her Xatu for a moment, likely having a private conversation. Meka bit her lip and looked back at him. She opened her mouth, and closed it, like she wasn’t sure what to say. _Good girl._

“I have my own solutions, to my own problems,” Noxtractus whispered in a loud tone and turned. He started walking away, but he felt in tingling sensation in his head. He turned back sharply, and the Xatu, who had her eyes closed in concentration, jumped. He glared at them and strolled towards them emotionlessly. Xatu and Meka looked at each other nervously, stepping back away from him. He stopped just a meter away from them. He let the uncomfortable silence stay, enjoying Meka and Xatu squirm. Noxtractus knew that he couldn't harm Meka without being blasted by Xatu, but he could still incriminate her.

“Get. Out. Of. My. Mind!”  Noxtractus whispered, not needing to add any extra emotions to the mix. He couldn’t remember the last time that he was so angry. Most of the time, he could glare at the other person long enough that they looked away and excused themselves. But he allowed himself to anger this time, for he knew that Meka would not back down to a stare. Meka called  Xatu back into her ball. She looked down, with a rare expression. A sad expression.  Noxtractus , sensing that he would be unable to hide his true emotion for much longer, walked away as casually as he could, stopping to pick up his bag and his fallen book.

* * *

When  Noxtractus got home, he strolled into his room, collapsed onto his bed, and started crying into his soft, black pillow, gripping the edges tightly. Crying about what, he wasn’t sure. Maybe it was his parents. Maybe it was being beaten up. Maybe because the most empathetic person in the school tried to invade his mind. Or maybe it was everything he had gone through in the past few years. He could still remember that day like yesterday, finally allowing his emotions loose... 

* * *

_Ugh. Why is Mom or Dad calling me so late?_ He groaned, half-awake. He reached and groped around for his ringing pokegear with his hand. After several attempts, he finally got a hold of it and raised it above him. The screen was so bright that he couldn’t see a thing. After a bit, his eyes adjusted, and he could see the caller. _911\. Wait. What?_

Now fully awake, he sat up sharply, clicked accept and held his ear. _Is mom and dad in trouble? I hope it’s not serious,_ he thought stupidly. Why would 911 call if it isn’t serious?

“Hello is this Noxtractus Waner?” the voice asked. 

“Yeah.” 

“Please come to the pokemon center as soon as possible. You will receive information there.” 

“Um, ok?”

 _Beep_

He got dressed hastily and ran towards the Mauve Town Pokemon Center. He shut down his thoughts, focusing on running. He was so focused that he didn’t notice that he passed the Pokemon Center. 

“Hey kid where are you going?” 

Noxtractus turned and noticed a man in a police uniform waving at him. _Oh shit. That’s embarrassing._

He ran back to the pokemon center, and was invited warmly, too warmly, into the pokemon center. 3 other police were there, as well as a detective. They were talking, until the police at the door cleared his throat. The other 4 turned, waved at Noxtractus, and motioned him to come over. He took a seat, and uncomfortable silence fell upon them. Noxtractus couldn’t stand the silence.

“Where are my parents?” Noxtractus asked, looking at the 5 adults. They looked at one another, and finally, the detective leaned towards him. 

“There’s no easy way to tell you,” he started, and Noxtractus felt a feeling a dread wash over him. “Your parents are gone.” 

Deafening silence. 

“Your father tried to help this Espeon,” he said gesturing to the pokemon next to him that Noxtractus hadn’t noticed. “Your father moved the log that the Espeon was trapped under, but out of fear and pain, Espeon released a powerful telekinesis wave that blasted your parents back. Their, landing, didn’t go well.” 

"Gone? As in, dead?" 

Strangely, he couldn't feel anything. No emotions. Nothing went through his head.

The detective nodded his head. 

“In your parent’s memory, we would like to offer you this Espeon to you. He is very powerful, and...” 

That’s when he exploded. He never felt anything like it. He upturned the table with strength he didn’t know he had. The police pulled out their pokeballs out of fear, while the detective and Espeon backed up. 

He cursed and cried. “The nerve! You ask me to take care of the very thing that caused my parent’s death? And it’s a pokemon, not an object! You have no right to offer me it!” Shocked by his own reaction, Noxtractus ran home, and slammed the door with so much strength he heard something break. He stormed up to his room, and cried into his pillow. He heard the door knocking, but didn’t answer it until the 3rd day, and slammed the door when the visitor asked him how he was. 

* * *

He refused friendship with anyone but the books and the occasional wild pokemon that passed by. He would never be harmed again. _Never. Again. Get up Noxtractus. You’ve got work to do._ Slowly, Noxtractus got out of bed, unaware that he was being spied on... 


	2. Change of Heart?

_ Ugh. Why is it so bright?  _ Noxtractus thought, half-awake, sunlight engulfing his face. He turned away from the light coming  through the window, tossing his blanket over his head. He yawned once, blinked a couple more times and, with half-opened eyes, checked his  pokegear for the time.  _ 2 a.m. Wait. Hold on. If its 2 a.m., then why is there light coming through the window?  _ His eyes shot open. He sprang off the bed,  stumbled and fell on his face, got back up and looked at the window. A tiny sun was  shining outside. It did a loop in the  air and shot away, leaving a trail of bright dust in its wake. 

Noxtractus ran to the window, opened it, ignoring the cold air that rushed in, and looked at the direction it went. He could only see the bright dust trail glittering on the ground, leading towards the forest behind his house. Whatever you are,  _ I’m not following you,  _ he thought, wondering if it was a  pokemon and whether it could read his mind, since whatever it was, it must be powerful to create such a bright light for an extended amount of time, and leave bright dust that continued to glitter after it landed on the ground.  _ I’m not going to help. Find someone else _ . _ I have no room for you in my heart.  _ He was about to go back to bed, when he heard a pained cry cut through the silence of the night. 

Without hesitation, he ran into his closet, hastily put on his clothes, ran downstairs, and burst out his back door, accidently causing one of the hinges to break off. He winced at the horrid sound.  _ I’ll fix that when I get home, if I can. But first, priorities.  _ There was no path following the glittering path into the woods, so he had to run through the bushes, praying none of them had sharp thorns, but that would be the least of his problems. A couple seconds into the forest, he tripped on a root, sending him flying into a tree. He quickly did a flip in the air, but not quickly enough. Pain erupted through his body as he slammed into the tree, though not as hard as if he hadn’t tried to flip. The entire tree shock from the impact, sending leaves flying. He scrambled to his feet, trying to ignore the pain on his back, but had to lean on the tree for support, and looked around for the trail. It was still there. Relief spread through him.  _ Hold on,  _ he panted, _ Let me rest-  _

The cry cut through the air again, higher pitched this time. Gritting his teeth,  Noxtractus continued to follow the glittering trail.

Thoughts flooded his mind.  _ Why am I doing this? I don’t care for anyone, and no one cares for me. And I intend to keep it that way. So why am I doing this?  _ Noxtractus wondered.  _ Because someone is in pain, and I’ll never forgive myself if I could have  _ _ helped and _ _ didn’t. But whoever it is, we will part ways when we are done.  _

He returned to the conscious world when he heard it again. That pained cry, though it was softer this time.  _ Hold on!  _ He thought, panicking,  _ “I’m almost there!”  _ He ran faster, thin branches repeatedly slapping him in the face painfully. Then he saw a clearing up ahead.  _ Come on!  _ h e thought, not sure if he was thinking about himself or whoever was in distress.

He burst into the clearing, tripping again, though with much less pain than his first fall due to the soft grass. He looked up, and noticed a small dark figure on the ground ahead of him. He scrambled up  again and ran towards the figure. As he got closer, he noticed that the figure is a  quadruped, which meant it had to be a  pokemon . The figure was lying on its side facing the opposite direction, and when it heard  Noxtractus , it rolled over. Its pained turquoise eyes turned into relief, which was quickly replaced by fear. 

Noxtractus slowed to a walk, crouching down to get a better look at the  pokemon . Shock spread through him, as he realized what  pokemon lied in front of him. Red feet, red eyebrows and a large tuft of fur with red at the top.  _ A  _ _ Zorua _ _. Why would I of all people find a  _ _ pokemon _ _ so rare?  _ It let out a fearful sound, trying to scoot away from him, though to  Noxtractus’s confusion, it couldn’t. Its legs flailed weakly against the ground, moving the  Zorua along at an incredibly slow rate.

He moved forward, unsure of what to do, when he felt his leg brush against something. He looked back. Another wave of shock spread through him.  _ No. It can’t be. That’s, the same basket that is always filled with berries and money. Why does the  _ _ Zorua _ _ have it?  _ He inspected it just to be sure. It had the same texture, the same feel, the same shape, and it even those two holes in the handle. __ Accepting that the  Zorua had been his caregiver, he looked back at where the  Zorua had been, who had a scooted a good distance. In its place was red grass. He looked back at the  Zorua , which was trying, without success, to get up to its feet.  _ Wait. Red grass? _ He looked back at the “red grass,” and to his horror, the grass was not red, but soaked in blood. Looking back at the  Zorua , he noticed that its two back legs were soaked with blood, while the rest of its body only had specks of blood. 

He moved forward  again, but was shocked a third time when pain erupted at his foot. He wretched his foot back, and to his horror, blood was coming out of his foot. It made him feel faint. Trying to ignore the pain, he looked at the spot that his foot had stepped on. Nothing. He was afraid to use any of his body parts to experiment, so he reached over to the basket, and tapped the ground with it. When he looked, nothing seemed to happen. He inspected the basket, and noticed a hole going through it. He tried to get up to get a stick, but the pain in his foot was too much. He looked at the basket again and had an idea. He tore off the handle of the basket and poked the hole. A drill-like object suddenly popped up from the ground and disappeared as quickly as it appeared. He tried to think of the object, searching his memory for what it might be, but got nothing. Poking the hole again, he noticed that the drill was  actually six objects stuck together.  _ A  _ _ Drillbur _ _. Wait.  _ He tore his eyes from where the drill was looked at the  Zorua .  _ Shit. _

He looked back at the  Zorua , which hadn’t moved, but its body motionless. He crawled around the blood puddle and held the  Zorua .  _ Please don’t be dead. Please.  _ He checked its heartbeat. For a moment of despair, he felt nothing. Then he felt a thump. A spark of hope flared up in his heart. Then another one came.  _ Still alive. _ He took off his shirt, revealing his bare chest. The cold started to take its toll on him, but he ignored it. He tore it in two, wrapping both wounds. He didn’t have any expertise though and prayed that he was doing it right. He took a berry from the basket, hoping that it was a normal berry that healed.  _ I really need to pay more attention in class. _ He  force fed the  Zorua it, hoping that he wasn’t worsening its condition.  _ His condition,  _ he realized. How he knew, he wasn’t sure, but he had no time to dwell on that. 

Then, the  Zorua coughed. Relief filled  Noxtractus’s body. He pulled a second berry from the basket and put it near the  Zorua’s nose. The  Zorua sniffed it and opened its eyes.  Noxtractus smiled at the  Zorua , a facial expression that hadn’t appeared since his  parents death on his face and hoped he didn’t look creepy. Apparently, he did, because  Zorua bit his hand and jumped off, only to fall and let out a cry of pain. Blood seeped from the wound on his hand, but  Noxractus ignored it. He pulled the basket towards the  Zorua’s mouth.  Zorua looked at  Noxtractus with suspicion and fear.  Noxtractus pulled a berry from the basket and popped it into his mouth. The cold juice tasted delicious in his mouth, but he didn’t try to emphasize on its deliciousness. Doing so would probably make the  Zorua more fearful of him. The  Zorua leaned towards the basket and took a bit out of one of the berries, his eyes never leaving  Noxtractus . Then he took another bit. And another.  Noxtractus watched the  Zorua eat with interest. This  Zorua had been his caregiver for a long time now.  _ But why? Why would he help me? What have I done to deserve this? _ _ And his fear of me. I guess I haven’t been the nicest person lately. I wonder what I would have done if I had caught him delivering the basket.  _ Shaking his head, he pushed those thought out of his head, and inspected the blood puddle again. 

He poked it again, but instead of a drill coming out, a small figure  busted out from the ground. The  Drillbur , landed in front of him, and unsheathed its claws in a menacing way.  Zorua let out of fearful sound, but  Noxtractus stared the  Drillbur down, kneeling so he didn’t put too much pressure on his injured foot, but tall enough to loom over the  Drillbur . The  Drillbur , looked hesitant for a moment, but the look faded away. The  Drillbur advanced on  Noxtractus .  Noxtractus tried to think of a strategy.  _ What do I have? A basket, berries, myself, and an extremely injured  _ _ pokemon _ _. A basket wouldn’t hurt it. I doubt it would chase after berries if I threw some, and even if I did, I would run out quickly, and neither of us are in a condition to run. I can try and throw some punches, but those drills are sharp, and even if I did sacrifice myself,  _ _ Zorua _ _ wouldn’t make.  _ _ Zorua _ _. I don’t know any of his moves, and even if I did, he is in no condition of fight- _

A sudden realization came to  Noxtractus , and he mentally smacked himself for not thinking about it first. He took the basket and threw it at the  Drillbur . The  Drillbur attacked the flying projectile, jumping up and slashing it in half with its claws. While the  Drillbur stamped the basket into pieces,  Noxtractus leaned over to the  Zorua and whispered something. The  Zorua’s expression changed from fear to a mischievous smile.  Noxtractus faced the  Drillbur , which had finished shredding the basket.  Noxtractus gave the  Drillbur a menacing smile and pulled out an Ultra Ball. A look of shock appeared on Drillbur. It tried to run/leap/drill away at the same time and ended up tripping onto the ground. The Drillbur gave Noxtractus another fearful look and dove into the ground. 

Sighing with relief,  Noxtractus lied back onto the ground. The  Zorua gave him a lick and turned the Ultra Ball back into a berry.  Noxtractus check to make sure his shirt was still covering  Zorua’s wounds, and then checked his own wounds. He checked his feet. His shoe had a hole, and there was deep wound in his foot, but thankfully didn’t go through his foot. He looked at his hand. His bones were visible. His hand was a dark red, with blood dripping down. He felt faint just looking at the wound and tore his eyes from the wound. The  Zorua back between  Noxtractus and his hand, with a fearful expression on his face.  Noxtractus reached his good hand at the  Zorua . The  Zorua flinched, but a relaxed expression replaced the fearful one as  Noxtractus stroked his head.  _ Its _ _ pretty fluffy. _ Noxtractus looked around the clearing, and a sudden realization came upon him. 

_ We can’t stay here. The  _ _ Drillbur _ _ could come back, or worse.  _ He got up gritting his teeth. He put his bad foot on its heel to avoid the grass touching the wound. He picked up a startled  Zorua , and slowly walked home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason why I choose Zorua as the first pokemon to be part of Noxtractus’s team is to honor someone in my life (no, that person is not dead). The illusion ability is the best way that I know of to represent influencing someone without them knowing it (in a good way in this story). Because of Noxtractus’s mood, he’ll need someone that can heal him mentally without him knowing, and Zorua knows not to push his luck getting too close to Noxtractus. (Yeah this life/death moment was a look inside Noxtractus's emotional side, but still not very emotional) If you look, you’ll see ways Zorua influences Noxtractus in a way Noxtractus can’t detect as the story progresses. I will also honor another person (who is also not dead stop asking) later in this story (wonder how those last two sentences are connected 😊).


	3. Discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be one of the few chapters that will not be in Noxtractus's point of view.

So soft. And warm. Zorua shook himself to stretch a little, and yawned. There was something at his head that was incredibly soft, and something warm covered his body. With eyes still closed, he prodded around with his front paws. Whatever was covering him was big, but light, and whatever was at his head was heavier, but he couldn't tell the size of it. He tried to get up, only for his legs to burn with pain. He let out a little yelp and opened his eyes. Oh. Right. My legs. He looked around him. He was in a small enclosed cube. The walls and the top were all black, while the floor was a greyish wool-like substance. In the center of the roof was a hemisphere that seemed to serve no purpose. At the front of the enclosed area is a ledge of some kind, though it was supported by only 4 long rods. A transparent substance that showed the outside was beside the bed, telling him it was night-time. There was another strange ledge below the transparent with a basket. The memories have been there in his head floating around, but only now did he truly realize what had happened. Everything went wrong. The human wasn't supposed to discover me. Stupid Drillbur. He clenched his paws on the warm, black, and large object, and unintentionally, unsheathed his claws, poking 10 holes through it.

"I prefer you don't poke holes through my blanket," a voice came from his left, causing Zorua in flinch. The human was lying down looking at him, his body barely visible beneath the "blanket." His gaze wasn't hostile, but something about it made him uneasy. Having stalked him for ages, Zorua knew that the human would radiate malice in order to keep people away from him, but that aura was gone, but the absence made him more uneasy then if it were there. There was another side of him, the emotional side of him, crashing onto his bed and sobbing for hours at a time. Now, he was introduced to a third side. Completely unemotional, without any readable signs. His logical side screamed Danger! He couldn't figure out what would likely happen and winging it was not preferred option.

"As you can tell, you have been asleep for a long time now. 20 hours to be exact. I only slept for 8 after I got you here, but I suppose you were more injured, and used that ability of yours. Thanks, by the way. You saved my life by doing that. I'll get some food, and then we'll," he paused, "we will figure out what to do with you."

The human got up, and a tiny bit of pain appeared on his face. Zorua remembered one of his feet having a deep gash, and with a pang of guilt, remembered the wound on his hand. Getting off the bed, the human walked awkwardly across the room, pulled an object in the wall, and a part of the wall moved with a creak. He walked out, leaving the Zorua with more time to think.

Why did I help him in the first place? I've always been insensitive. Everyone that has known me has said so too. Zorua looked around the room, trying to remember. It was a gut feeling. I remember that. I choose to help him, because I felt like it. Damn it that sounds stupid. I never follow my gut, only logical thinking. It's like, having another voice in your head that's not you. Sighing, he pushed those thoughts aside, knowing that it would get him nowhere. That wound on his hand. I did that. I bit him. He was trying to help, and I bit him. I was startled, and he hadn't exactly seemed like a person that would care about someone else, but I still bit him while he was trying to help. What will he think of me? He looked at his injured back legs. We will figure out what to do with you. What does he mean? Will he force me out? I can't survive in this condition. He doesn't want me. He doesn't want anyone. It wasn't supposed to end up like this! He was supposed to heal, with me pushing him along without him realizing. Now that he knows what I'm doing, he'll kick me out for sure!

"Hi," the human said from the moving wall, wrenching the Zorua from his thoughts. The human walked over and put a metal disk with berries and a round red object in front of Zorua. The human held a food that he recognized as a "salad." Climbing over Zorua, the human got back to his place on the soft platform. Zorua nibbled the berries, and then started devouring them. He noticed the human watching with amusement as he ate his "salad." Finishing the berries, he sniffed the round red object and nibbled it. It had a nice dry flavor to it. He took a larger bite, filling his mouth with the delightful taste. He devoured the rest of the object and licked the metal disk clean.

"Hungry, are we?" the human asked with amusement.

"Y-yeah."

The human's emotionless face was replaced with shock.

"What did you say?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you listening to yourself?"

"Am I- oh," Zorua suddenly realized. Zorua always thought it was strange that pokemon could understand humans, but not the other way around. Now that a human understood him, he wasn't sure what to think.

The human looked at him curiously for a moment, but quickly returned to his emotionless state.

"I suppose that will make things easier. I'll figure out why later. But priorities. What am I to do with you?"

Zorua squirmed. This is where he decides to kick me out.

When Zorua didn't respond, the human continued. "I have been thinking about this for a while. I offer you 2 choices. You can leave right now-" Zorua let out a mournful cry. He quickly stifled it, but he had already let it out. The human looked at him with narrowed eyes. Zorua cowered, triing to make himself as small as possible, wishing he could just disappear.

"Let me finish. Or you can stay with me until you are healed, and then we'll talk about it then."

Zorua figured he must have looked stupid. He could feel his mouth opening and closing. What? He's willing to keep me for a while? Wouldn't that be caring for me? But... That doesn't make any sense! And talk about then? That makes it sound like he might keep me!

Then he noticed the human's expression soften. It was a strange expression, like seeing your friend evolve. Familiar, yet completely unknown. "I'm sorry that I haven't been right lately. You probably think of me as a maniac, and in a way, I admit I am. But you've brought me food, and I'm not going to abandon you with your injuries. I might not be the nicest person, but I pay my debts, and I could never live with myself if I left you with your injuries all by yourself. After all, you are more useful alive then dead."

"Th-thanks." Zorua stammered.

"Don't thank me," the human said shaking his head, "You've done more for me than I ever could do for you. Thank you."

"Er, I'm sorry about your hand," Zorua blurted.

The human tilted his head, but kept his expression. "It'll heal. I don't blame you. Waking up suddenly in my arms? Not the best way to wake up. By the way, I'm Noxtractus. I don't know if you know that, even though you have been stalking me for a while. My name isn't the thing that stands out about me after all."

Zorua opened his mouth, but hesitated. Noxtractus seemed to notice.

"Hey, if it's something important you got to say, I swear I wouldn't get mad."

Something in his eyes made Zorua sure that he was telling the truth. "I just want to let you know, that I've seen you in this room before."

A flash of emotion appeared in Noxtractus's eyes for such a short time that Zorua couldn't tell what it was.

"I see," Noxtractus said. "Well, I have to figure some stuff out," he said with a mix of finality and uncertainty, "Stay here and try to relax, and call if you need anything." 


End file.
